Timeless .95 ss tour pass-around!!

[SolidSnake03]

Sure!

I have owned the 2013 Muhle r41 and can attest to that one in comparison to the .95 Timeless Stainless. I honestly find the Muhle fairly equal efficiency wise for the scalloped .95 but with the .95 smoother overall with a more gentle/mindless shave compared to the Muhle. With the Muhle I'm more on edge throughout the shave and use the lightest of touch while for the Timeless .95 I can be a bit more lazy/relaxed. That said, if you factor in price then definitely just get the r41 because it's fairly close efficiency wise but a bit harsher. That said, a spot of Prep and an alum block and they are basically the same if I'm being really honest on that. So...grab an r41 head for like $35 or less and love that efficient shave but if you want more grab a Timeless

 

[NicksDad]

Sure!

I have owned the 2013 Muhle r41 and can attest to that one in comparison to the .95 Timeless Stainless. I honestly find the Muhle fairly equal efficiency wise for the scalloped .95 but with the .95 smoother overall with a more gentle/mindless shave compared to the Muhle. With the Muhle I'm more on edge throughout the shave and use the lightest of touch while for the Timeless .95 I can be a bit more lazy/relaxed. That said, if you factor in price then definitely just get the r41 because it's fairly close efficiency wise but a bit harsher. That said, a spot of Prep and an alum block and they are basically the same if I'm being really honest on that. So...grab an r41 head for like $35 or less and love that efficient shave but if you want more grab a Timeless

Thanks for that. My R41 is my top razor, and I don’t want to spend $$$ on others unless they can match the efficiency. So far I’m thinking the .95 Timeless and 1.25 WR2 should compare nicely.

 

[SolidSnake03]

Can't comment on the Wolfman since I haven't used one but I can say that the .95 scalloped (and most likely the .95 open comb if not even a bit more efficient) seem to match my r41 2013 in closeness of shave and longevity of the shave. I would say they are neck and neck as best I can tell in those regards when using a sharp blade (feather, gsb, polsilver) in both.

 

[StratMan]

Thanks for that. My R41 is my top razor, and I don’t want to spend $$$ on others unless they can match the efficiency. So far I’m thinking the .95 Timeless and 1.25 WR2 should compare nicely.

I have a R41, timeless 95 SB and will have a wolfman 1.25 in the next couple of days i would think. IMHO I would say the R41 is more efficient than the T95 as it takes longer for the hair to grow back. The T95 is def much more smoother than the R41 (i do not find the R41 to be harsh).

All the research i have done with the Wolfman WR2 1.25 indicate that i will come close to the efficiency of the R41 while retaining the smoothness of the T95. Looking forward to confirming the latter shortly

Used a feather with the T95 this morning and got BBS with ease. If you have not yet tried a feather in the T95 give it a go.

 

[SolidSnake03]

Have to agree on giving a Feather a go. The Timeless in both blade gaps has definitely mellowed out Feather blades a bit for me. For example the r41 with a feather is a bit too harsh feeling but great with other sharp blades like the gsb, polsilver, Bic etc.... The Timeless, maybe in how firmly it clamps the blade, seems to tone down the harshness I sometimes feel with Feathers in some other razors.

 

[P@tsfan6484]

I have a R41, timeless 95 SB and will have a wolfman 1.25 in the next couple of days i would think. IMHO I would say the R41 is more efficient than the T95 as it takes longer for the hair to grow back. The T95 is def much more smoother than the R41 (i do not find the R41 to be harsh).

All the research i have done with the Wolfman WR2 1.25 indicate that i will come close to the efficiency of the R41 while retaining the smoothness of the T95. Looking forward to confirming the latter shortly

Used a feather with the T95 this morning and got BBS with ease. If you have not yet tried a feather in the T95 give it a go.

I have the 1.15 Wolfman and it is very similar to my Timeless .95. It may be a slight bit more efficient than the Timeless and is easily used as a daily driver. I am quite happy with my choice on the Wolf. If the 1.25 is equal in smoothness then it is going to be a winner.

 

[SolidSnake03]

Hey All,

Just a heads up that I will be shipping the razor out to it's next home this coming week, my apologies on the delay on that, was shipped out to one of our production plants with 1 day notice and will be back shortly to ship out the razor. Anyhow, I'm including a gift razor for the next person for the delay and including a soap puck for everyone to try out for the pass around going forward as a gift/apology for the delay.

I'll keep you all posted when it goes out and post another write up shortly on it. Thanks!

 

[benos]

Hey All,

Just a heads up that I will be shipping the razor out to it's next home this coming week, my apologies on the delay on that, was shipped out to one of our production plants with 1 day notice and will be back shortly to ship out the razor. Anyhow, I'm including a gift razor for the next person for the delay and including a soap puck for everyone to try out for the pass around going forward as a gift/apology for the delay.

I'll keep you all posted when it goes out and post another write up shortly on it. Thanks!

That is super nice, man; thanks!

 

[NicksDad]

While my R41 is hands down my most efficient razor, my Rocca is more comfortable and doesn’t really sacrifice much efficiency. In fact, the Rocca is inching its way up into Most Favored status. Can any of you predict how the Timeless .95 plate will compare with the Rocca?

 

[SolidSnake03]

Hey everyone, wanted to provide an update, I shipped out the razor today with USPS priority and should arrive with the next person this week. I've also included a fun little extra surprise in the box since I ended up with the razor a bit longer than expected. Please either scrape some off or cut off a chunk of the soap so that we're not all using the same puck, the puck as of right now is brand new. It's something from grooming department that I think you'll all like to try.

Also as a final comment on the razor, I really enjoyed my time with it, it was an outstanding shaver with both plates but especially with the 0.95 gap base plate. I'm honestly more of a single edge guy at this point myself using gem razors and/or artist club style blades because I found them to be both very sharp and typically quite smooth for me compared to almost everything I've used double-edged. Just across the board both the artist clubs and gem style razors have provided me with closer and less irritating shaves than double-edged. That said, the Timeless is about as good as I've experienced out of a double-edged razor in terms of smoothness and efficiency and a wonderful balance of the two. It is one of the very few double edged that I will consider picking up for myself and I think that says a lot overall about its efficiency and it's smoothness as a razor. Also I will most likely get one of those handles even just to use artist club heads on, the handle really is that good all around (balance and grip and finish)

Thanks again for the wonderful opportunity and so glad to participate in the pass around

 

[Flintstone65]

Anybody got the 10-20 on this razor? It's not mine, and I'm still several rungs down on the list, but it's been 11 days since the razor was shipped, and I thought I'd just ping the group to see what's going on.

 

[P@tsfan6484]

1 @GlazedBoker ( complete)
2 @dmshaver ( complete)
3 @CarlosAT ( complete)
4 @cgr86 ( complete)
5 @NJDJ ( complete)
6 @steelcity2 ( complete)
7 @bobmsp ( complete)
8 @ShavePastor ( complete)
9 @CJB3 ( complete)
10 @PlutoViola ( complete)
11 @Tim Meneely ( complete)
12 @dezmil ( complete)
13 @SolidSnake03 ( complete)
Starting the reserve list off is
14 @Cut Throat ( in hand)
15 @Flintstone65 ( on deck)
16 @emwolf ( in the hole)
17 @jbreakfield
18 @gwsmallwood
19 @Badger in the Sun
20 @benos
21 @NicksDad
22 @shotgun233
23 @pdieten
24 @Sir Lurkalot
25 @Eric49311
26 @Cleanface
Sorry for lack of updates. @Cut Throat has the razor. I look forward to his reviews.

 

[Flintstone65]

Just want to let the gang -- and especially @P@tsfan6484 -- know that the razor has been received by yours truly. Things are a little crazed at the moment (sort of an understatement these days, I know), but I'm going to try and get a shave in tonight or tomorrow morning. And I'll be reporting every step of the way. I'm also going to list a few razors I have that are favorites so that folks can request a comparison.

Cheers,
Fred

 

[Flintstone65]

So the razor arrived yesterday (4-4-2020) and my first shave was today (4-5-2020)....I'm putting dates in as a reminder to me as to when I've received the razor and when I shaved with it, so I can be cognizant how long it's in my care. With the way things are these days, time and dates can easily get away from me.

First shave was the SB .68 head (non-scalloped). My last shave was on Friday (4-3) and I had planned to shave yesterday and skip today, but the mailman's delivery of this beautiful package changed my plans. Before I launch in to how my initial shave went, let me layout a few things that I think may be helpful to those interested in this razor and looking at my comments for any relevant/meaningful insights.

As we *very* often say, YMMV -- which to me means that we all observe and react to the world through our own "lens" of experiences and preferences. So I find it helpful to know something about the reviewer's "lens". Here are a few tidbits about mine:

• I have over 100 hundred razors (easily), but over 90% of them are vintage, and probably over 60% are single edge or shavette-type SE razors. That still leaves me with at least 40 different DE razors, with only 5 or so of them being modern (RR Mamba .70, GC .84 SB, RR Wunderbar, Merkur 34c, RR German 37)
  
  
• I like both DE and SE razors, but as my collection suggests, I tend to grab an SE (Vintage Gem-style or Injectors) than a DE....my shaves are probably 60% to 70% SE.
  
  
• My favorite DE blades are Nacet, Voskhod, Feather and Dorco Prime.
  
  
• I tend towards vintage razors not because I think they shave better than moderns, but because I like the history behind the razor...I like using things that were designed in and even for another period of time. So my favorite vintage DE's are: Gillette and Rotbart RFB News (both 2-piece and 3-piece models), British Flat Bottom Techs, Contract Techs, Slant razors (Ziglar, Fasan), Gillette Goodwill #160, and Gillette Popular. I could keep listing "favorites" -- but those are the more "balanced" razors in my opinion -- balanced in terms of comfort and efficiency (i.e., closeness achieved per pass).
  
  
• My favorite modern DE is the GC 84 SB....although I tend towards Open Combs, I haven't really leaned towards the 68 OC or 84 OC (or JAWS) versions yet.
  
  
• Most importantly, I'm a Pisces who enjoys long walks and.....oh wait, got confused about what this was for

So why did a vintage-snob who REALLY likes SE razors want to get on this pass-around??? Because I am/was very curious about the higher-end DE razors. Am I missing something in my shave den? Are there significant enough differences for me to want to make the investment into the Timeless? And the answers are.....still to come, but now that I have the razor in hand, it shouldn't be long.

Here are the details on the first shave:
Soap: Saponificio Varesino Felce
Brush: Elite Razor's Manchurian White Badger in Jadeite handle
Razor: Timeless .68 SB (non-scalloped)
Blade: Nacet (1st use)

1st pass with the grain. Very comfortable, I could hear the blade more than feel it. The angle is intuitive, but it also seems like a small window. If I try to go too steep I feel the Safety Bar, if I ride the cap, I just get the cap....need to hit the sweet spot to actually cut hair. Good news is the sweet spot really does just sort of fall right into place.

2nd pass against the grain on most of the face (except lips, chin and throat). I was trying for a 2-pass shave, and I absolutely could have (and should have) stopped for an easy DFS (after a minor touch-up); but the shave was so comfortable, and I know my time with the razor is limited, so I pressed on for a full 3rd pass.

3rd pass was against the grain EVERYWHERE. I never do that, but in the interest of science, I went for it! Any other razor (vintage or not -- DE or SE) would have left me in tatters. Instead, I had one very tiny weeper on my throat, and some minor-irritation that is barely visible. Oh and I definitely got a BBS, which I don't typically shoot for -- I am a comfort over closeness shaver....but I wanted to push this razor, and while it pushed back, it was a "friendly" push.

I'm not ready to deliver any deep revelations about the razor yet; but I will say that I'm not a big fan of the handle. It is indeed beautiful, but I find it VERY heavy. Keep in mind that I typically shave with Lather Catchers or Injectors, and even the vintage DE's didn't put that much weight into a handle; so I'm just used to something lighter. I have several 3rd party semi-custom titanium handles, and I may try one of those with the one of the heads before this is over. I will also say that I did use a nylon washer to protect the handle from scratching the base plate....although I'm probably the only person doing that, so it's more for my piece of mind than it is the razor at this point.

I'll be back with several more shaves. I'm usually an every-other-day shaver, but I'm going to toss in a few more shaves to try and get as much personal data on this razor as I can. I can't thank @P@tsfan6484 enough for the opportunity to try this razor out....especially the various gaps and head styles!

I'll be back soon with another TLDR-installment of my review. Oops, almost forgot the pic!

 

[bigbrucefan]

So the razor arrived yesterday (4-4-2020) and my first shave was today (4-5-2020)....I'm putting dates in as a reminder to me as to when I've received the razor and when I shaved with it, so I can be cognizant how long it's in my care. With the way things are these days, time and dates can easily get away from me.

First shave was the SB .68 head (non-scalloped). My last shave was on Friday (4-3) and I had planned to shave yesterday and skip today, but the mailman's delivery of this beautiful package changed my plans. Before I launch in to how my initial shave went, let me layout a few things that I think may be helpful to those interested in this razor and looking at my comments for any relevant/meaningful insights.

As we *very* often say, YMMV -- which to me means that we all observe and react to the world through our own "lens" of experiences and preferences. So I find it helpful to know something about the reviewer's "lens". Here are a few tidbits about mine:

• I have over 100 hundred razors (easily), but over 90% of them are vintage, and probably over 60% are single edge or shavette-type SE razors. That still leaves me with at least 40 different DE razors, with only 5 or so of them being modern (RR Mamba .70, GC .84 SB, RR Wunderbar, Merkur 34c, RR German 37)
  
  
• I like both DE and SE razors, but as my collection suggests, I tend to grab an SE (Vintage Gem-style or Injectors) than a DE....my shaves are probably 60% to 70% SE.
  
  
• My favorite DE blades are Nacet, Voskhod, Feather and Dorco Prime.
  
  
• I tend towards vintage razors not because I think they shave better than moderns, but because I like the history behind the razor...I like using things that were designed in and even for another period of time. So my favorite vintage DE's are: Gillette and Rotbart RFB News (both 2-piece and 3-piece models), British Flat Bottom Techs, Contract Techs, Slant razors (Ziglar, Fasan), Gillette Goodwill #160, and Gillette Popular. I could keep listing "favorites" -- but those are the more "balanced" razors in my opinion -- balanced in terms of comfort and efficiency (i.e., closeness achieved per pass).
  
  
• My favorite modern DE is the GC 84 SB....although I tend towards Open Combs, I haven't really leaned towards the 68 OC or 84 OC (or JAWS) versions yet.
  
  
• Most importantly, I'm a Pisces who enjoys long walks and.....oh wait, got confused about what this was for

So why did a vintage-snob who REALLY likes SE razors want to get on this pass-around??? Because I am/was very curious about the higher-end DE razors. Am I missing something in my shave den? Are there significant enough differences for me to want to make the investment into the Timeless? And the answers are.....still to come, but now that I have the razor in hand, it shouldn't be long.

Here are the details on the first shave:
Soap: Saponificio Varesino Felce
Brush: Elite Razor's Manchurian White Badger in Jadeite handle
Razor: Timeless .68 SB (non-scalloped)
Blade: Nacet (1st use)

1st pass with the grain. Very comfortable, I could hear the blade more than feel it. The angle is intuitive, but it also seems like a small window. If I try to go too steep I feel the Safety Bar, if I ride the cap, I just get the cap....need to hit the sweet spot to actually cut hair. Good news is the sweet spot really does just sort of fall right into place.

2nd pass against the grain on most of the face (except lips, chin and throat). I was trying for a 2-pass shave, and I absolutely could have (and should have) stopped for an easy DFS (after a minor touch-up); but the shave was so comfortable, and I know my time with the razor is limited, so I pressed on for a full 3rd pass.

3rd pass was against the grain EVERYWHERE. I never do that, but in the interest of science, I went for it! Any other razor (vintage or not -- DE or SE) would have left me in tatters. Instead, I had one very tiny weeper on my throat, and some minor-irritation that is barely visible. Oh and I definitely got a BBS, which I don't typically shoot for -- I am a comfort over closeness shaver....but I wanted to push this razor, and while it pushed back, it was a "friendly" push.

I'm not ready to deliver any deep revelations about the razor yet; but I will say that I'm not a big fan of the handle. It is indeed beautiful, but I find it VERY heavy. Keep in mind that I typically shave with Lather Catchers or Injectors, and even the vintage DE's didn't put that much weight into a handle; so I'm just used to something lighter. I have several 3rd party semi-custom titanium handles, and I may try one of those with the one of the heads before this is over. I will also say that I did use a nylon washer to protect the handle from scratching the base plate....although I'm probably the only person doing that, so it's more for my piece of mind than it is the razor at this point.

I'll be back with several more shaves. I'm usually an every-other-day shaver, but I'm going to toss in a few more shaves to try and get as much personal data on this razor as I can. I can't thank @P@tsfan6484 enough for the opportunity to try this razor out....especially the various gaps and head styles!

I'll be back soon with another TLDR-installment of my review. Oops, almost forgot the pic!

i enjoyed that.
for the record, i have a .95 timeless in Ti and a game changer .84.
ii put a razorock barber pole on the timeless head and it's kept me my happiest.
i've almost sold the timeless a couple of times, b/c the game changer is really super-smooth and efficient and is also much easier/more intuitive to use between the nose and lip.
i broke out the timeless just this week (it's been months) and got such an easy shave, i'm back to holding on to it.

 

[P@tsfan6484]

1 @GlazedBoker ( complete)
2 @dmshaver ( complete)
3 @CarlosAT ( complete)
4 @cgr86 ( complete)
5 @NJDJ ( complete)
6 @steelcity2 ( complete)
7 @bobmsp ( complete)
8 @ShavePastor ( complete)
9 @CJB3 ( complete)
10 @PlutoViola ( complete)
11 @Tim Meneely ( complete)
12 @dezmil ( complete)
13 @SolidSnake03 ( complete)
Starting the reserve list off is
14 @Cut Throat ( complete)
15 @Flintstone65 ( in hand)
16 @emwolf ( on deck)
17 @jbreakfield ( in the hole)
18 @gwsmallwood
19 @Badger in the Sun
20 @benos
21 @NicksDad
22 @shotgun233
23 @pdieten
24 @Sir Lurkalot
25 @Eric49311
26 @Cleanface
Looking forward to all @Flintstone65 has to say!

 

[P@tsfan6484]

Nice review. I sometimes put my Timeless Ti handle in the ss head. Works great if you are looking for a bit lighter feel.

 

[gwsmallwood]

1 @GlazedBoker ( complete)
2 @dmshaver ( complete)
3 @CarlosAT ( complete)
4 @cgr86 ( complete)
5 @NJDJ ( complete)
6 @steelcity2 ( complete)
7 @bobmsp ( complete)
8 @ShavePastor ( complete)
9 @CJB3 ( complete)
10 @PlutoViola ( complete)
11 @Tim Meneely ( complete)
12 @dezmil ( complete)
13 @SolidSnake03 ( complete)
Starting the reserve list off is
14 @Cut Throat ( complete)
15 @Flintstone65 ( in hand)
16 @emwolf ( on deck)
17 @jbreakfield ( in the hole)
18 @gwsmallwood
19 @Badger in the Sun
20 @benos
21 @NicksDad
22 @shotgun233
23 @pdieten
24 @Sir Lurkalot
25 @Eric49311
26 @Cleanface
Looking forward to all @Flintstone65 has to say!

Can you bump me to the bottom of the list? I have asthma and allergies, and I'm on steroids right now, so I'm on a pretty strict stay home policy from my doctors. That means I can't get to the post office to mail things. Unfortunately, we don't have a working printer at home, so I can't even ship from home at the moment.

 

[P@tsfan6484]

1 @GlazedBoker ( complete)
2 @dmshaver ( complete)
3 @CarlosAT ( complete)
4 @cgr86 ( complete)
5 @NJDJ ( complete)
6 @steelcity2 ( complete)
7 @bobmsp ( complete)
8 @ShavePastor ( complete)
9 @CJB3 ( complete)
10 @PlutoViola ( complete)
11 @Tim Meneely ( complete)
12 @dezmil ( complete)
13 @SolidSnake03 ( complete)
Starting the reserve list off is
14 @Cut Throat ( complete)
15 @Flintstone65 ( in hand)
16 @emwolf ( on deck)
17 @jbreakfield ( in the hole)
18 @Badger in the Sun
19 @benos
20 @NicksDad
21 @shotgun233
22 @pdieten
23 @Sir Lurkalot
24 @Eric49311
25 @Cleanface
26 @gwsmallwood
Had to adjust the lineup a bit.

 

[Flintstone65]

Greetings all -- shave #2 is complete. While I subscribe to the idea of only changing one thing when you're testing something out, I don't feel like I have the luxury of time and shaves for that in this case, so I changed up a bunch of stuff. The head used was the scallop .68, the handle was a titanium Stork, the blade was an Astra, soap was Meissner Tremonia Elemi, and brush was Yaqi faux horse in rainbow handle.

This was a better shave than the first one, but since I changed so many variables, it's difficult to know why....but here are my theories:

• Lighter handle. For me, the Timeless handle is too heavy. Don't get me wrong, it's balanced with the SS head, and it's grippy, and it's gorgeous looking; but I think a lighter handle works better for me.
  
  
• Scallop head vs plain safety bar. It just seemed smoother to me....better glide. Not a stark difference, it's not like the plain SB dragged on my face, it's just that the scalloped head "felt" like it moved better.
  
  
• Astra blade felt smoother than my "go to" Nacet. I'm not sure about this. I tend to feel like blade differences are often times given too much credit; but here I go with a theory that says the Astra (brand new) felt smoother and delivered a nicer shave than my beloved Nacet (also brand new).

I stuck to a straight-up 2-pass shave (with just a witch hazel touch-up in a couple of places) and the results were a solid DFS....no blood, no irritation, and no post-shave sensitivity -- just smoothness. This was one of those relatively rare shave scores 9.999 out of 10.

I'm going to try the .95 head next, but I want a bit of growth, so I may skip Wednesday's shave and give the .95 something to grab on to. Here's today's shave pic: